The college football season is a journey in which stars are unearthed at every turn. One form of star player is not just the dazzling running back, but more specifically, the dazzling running back who – while very adept as a setback carrying the ball between the tackles – can also line up as a receiver or come out of the backfield on swing or flat passes and make big plays in space. These are the foremost running backs who are also dangerous receivers and can do a lot when they catch passes.
Mark Walton, Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes will be breaking in a new quarterback this season to replace Brad Kaaya. This means one can expect a lot of screens and short passes from the Hurricanes and head coach Mark Richt. Walton is in perfect position to be the beneficiary of this fact. He is very shifty and hard to bring down if he can get separation from defenders. In a season when Miami football is as hyped as it has been in more than a decade, Walton could very easily become the cornerstone player of this offense.
The Hurricanes have a relatively easy start to the 2017-18 season in the first two weeks with Bethune-Cookman and Arkansas State. However, things heat up right after that with a trip to Tallahassee to face Florida State. The Hurricanes want to announce that they’re back. They’ll have to win a game like this if that’s the case.
Phillip Lindsay, Colorado Buffaloes
Phillip Lindsay is tough and elusive. He is not overwhelmingly fast the way Walton is, but he has a knack for shedding a tackler at the first point of contact. This enables a short pass to become a 20-yard pass play. The Buffaloes will be relying on this specific characteristic of Lindsay to make their offense both consistent and productive in 2017.
Akrum Wadley, Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa offense, for many years, was based on the power run and the short pass as a play-action changeup once the defense was focused on the running game. Former coordinator Greg Davis – who had a long career as a college football play-caller – developed this approach at Iowa, but he retired in the offseason. When the position went open, some felt Iowa needed to choose a coordinator who would open up the offense. Instead, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz chose his son Brian as the new coordinator. This should mean a continuation of short passing in Iowa City. Wadley will therefore be the focal point of the offense – the style plays right into his hands and will give him ample opportunities to shine.
Saquon Barkley, Penn State Nittany Lions
Barkley is a terror. His range as a receiver is probably greater than most of the players on this list. Since he is so valuable to the Nittany Lions and their offense, the coaching staff will probably try to limit the number of times he runs between the tackles, which invites bone-crushing hits and a lot of wear and tear over the course of the season. This means he should get more chances to catch passes in open space downfield. He should be in for a huge year.
Quadree Henderson, Pittsburgh Panthers
The Panthers lose coordinator Matt Canada, but their offense still exploded last year, including 76 points in a game against Syracuse. Quadree Henderson was one of the central engines in a Pittsburgh offense which very, very rarely scored fewer than 35 points in a game in its 2016 season. Henderson owns lethal speed and can attack a defense from a lot of different angles. He owns a Swiss Army knife quality which should enable him to thrive in 2017.
Pitt has one of the toughest schedules in the nation in September. They’ll start with a cupcake matchup against Youngstown State, which should provide an easy win. After that, though, they have a road trip to Penn State, a home game with Oklahoma State and then a road trip to Georgia Tech. If they can get through the first month at 2-2, that will be quite impressive.
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